Black and White
by PerpetualSnare
Summary: Nick turns to alcohol to cope when his wife leaves him and Amanda pays the price.


Detective Amanda Rollins was working late again. She had stayed at the office until 10pm to complete the paperwork on a case that the team had just closed.

"It's not as if I have anybody waiting at home for me anyway," she kept repeating to herself silently as she did her work.

After Amanda performed the final comparison between her report and her field notes, she decided to head to the bar by the precinct to grab a brew before going home. When she entered the bar she saw a familiar face.

"Nick, nice to see you," Amanda said and took a seat next to her fellow detective, Nick Amaro.

"Good…a drinking buddy," Nick declared rather loudly.

Amanda knit her brow when she saw the myriad of empties in front of Nick. At a quick glance, there were a minimum of eight bottles.

"How long have you been here?" she asked with concern.

"Since eight," Nick responded honestly.

"You work with him right?" the bartender asked when he saw them talking.

Amanda answered curtly, "Yes."

"I was about to cut him off," the portly man offered.

"Save it, Lou...you should have done that an hour ago and you know it," Amanda admonished him with her usual brashness.

"Well when a man wants to drink…who am I to say no?" Lou shrugged her off.

"Give me a half pint of lager and then I'll take care of him," she snapped.

"Coming right up!"

Nick smiled at her words and then said, "Just what I need...another woman to take care of me."

Lou placed the beer in front of Amanda and she immediately took a large swig.

"I heard about your wife moving to DC. I'm sorry Nick," Amanda said bluntly.

"I'm not," he countered.

In a wry tone she said, "Yea, that's why you're here drinking yourself silly…because it doesn't matter to you."

"If you're going to drink with me, you can't headshrink me," Nick grumbled at her.

Amanda decided to change her approach. In an effort to get to the heart of the matter she softly asked him, "It must be hard being away from your daughter?"

At this, Nick looked down at his almost empty glass with an understanding that the beer hadn't solved any of his problems.

"It is hard...and you know what? I don't know what kind of ideas about me Maria is filling her head with."

"Why don't you drive down to see Zara this weekend? It will make you feel better," Amanda suggested.

"I would if I didn't have to see Maria."

"Don't punish your daughter because you and her mom are having a rough patch. She'll want to see you," Amanda advised wisely.

There was a lull in the conversation while Amanda worked on her glass of lager.

"You know what I like about you?" Nick shared suddenly.

"What?" Amanda said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...usually I have this instinct to protect women - like I have to be the strong one...so I can never really relax."

Amanda commented drolly, "yea...I've seen that on the job."

"...it's one of the reasons working with Olivia can be so hard. She's tough...but she has this incredibly vulnerable side that makes it hard to open up to her...but you...I don't see you as vulnerable," Nick blathered in a sea of alcohol.

"I'm just one of the guys huh?" Amanda said almost to herself.

"Naw...your strength makes you really sexy," Nick smiled at her with his lips pursed in a half curl.

Amanda eyed Nick warily, thinking that he was starting to get out of line. Nick put his left hand on her knee in what she considered to be an overly friendly manner. Amanda delicately removed that hand and placed it on his own knee.

"Okay...you're tanked. I'm driving you home," Amanda informed him.

"Now Detective Rollins...I don't think I would behave myself in a car with you."

"You will if I handcuff you in the backseat," she threatened him.

"Don't be that way. I just want to get to know you better," Nick said and ran his eyes over her upper torso.

"I don't think I like what you have in mind. I'm calling you a cab," Amanda said fiercely, not caring if she embarrassed him.

Amanda motioned Lou over and asked him to call a taxi.

"When you wake up tomorrow, you are going to regret this," Amanda whispered.

"The only thing I will regret is going home alone," Nick told her. That was the last thing that Amanda expected him to say and for the briefest of moments she felt sorry for him. Amanda needed some space and a moment to clear her head. She had to get away from Nick.

"Lou, I'm going to the restroom. Make sure he doesn't leave until the cab gets here."

As Amanda walked away Nick called to her. "Don't be long," he simpered in a suggestive voice that disgusted her.

When Amanda returned to the bar, Lou and the cab driver were trying to coax Amaro's address out of him, but the inebriated detective was being stubborn.

"Do you know where he lives?" Lou asked her.

Amanda gave them Nick's address. Nick began to settle down as the alcohol started to have a soporific affect. It only took two of them to get him into the back of the cab.

"Buenas Noches, chica bonita," Amanda thought she heard Nick murmur at her before she shut the back door on him.

"Hey...make sure he gets in his front door...will ya?" Amanda ordered.

The cab driver looked in her direction and yelled, "I'm not a babysitter, lady!"

Amanda took out her wallet and handed the driver a bill.

"Here's an extra 5 bucks...make sure he gets home safely," she demanded.

The driver stepped on the gas and soon the cab was gone. Lou had gone back inside to close up for the evening. Amanda stood outside in the autumn evening breeze, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Yes, Nick's wife had abandoned him. Yes, they had just finished a very difficult case. Yes, his daughter had been taken from him. And yes, Nick's career and reputation had almost been damaged beyond repair.

However, none of these things could excuse Nick's crude conduct.

There was no gray here.


End file.
